Department for Education

Schools: Buildings

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the identification of school buildings past their design life as a serious risk in the Department for Education's last annual report, whether she will publish a table setting out her estimate of how many schools in England which were operating (a) 10 to 15 years away from reaching the end of their design life, (b) five to 10 years away from reaching the end of their design life, (c) within five years of reaching the end of their design life, (d) reached the end of their design life within the last five years, (e) reached the end of their design life within the last five to 10 years, (f) reached the end of their design life within the last 10 to 15 years and (g) reached the end of their design life more than 15 years ago as on 15 September 2023; and whether she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Nothing is more important than the safety of pupils and teachers. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware a building may pose an immediate risk, immediate action is taken.The Department has continued to invest in improving the condition of schools and colleges, with over £15 billion allocated since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed for the 2023/24 financial year. The School Rebuilding Programme will also transform buildings at 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition and with evidence of potential safety issues. The Department has announced 400 schools to date, including 239 in December 2022.As set out by the National Audit Office, buildings can normally be used beyond their estimated initial design life. The effective life expectancy of individual buildings can be improved by regular inspections, maintenance, and upgrades over time so that buildings that are well maintained by the responsible body can continue to be suitable for generations.CDC1 and CDC2 are high-level Condition Data Collection programmes which allow the Department to understand the condition of the school estate over time and inform capital funding and programmes.Individual CDC reports are shared with every school and the academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided bodies responsible for those schools, to help inform their investment plans alongside their own more detailed condition surveys and safety checks.It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools’ day to day, to manage safety and maintenance and to alert us if there is a serious concern with a building. The Department provides support on a case by case basis if it is alerted to a serious safety issue. The Department also provides extensive guidance to the sector on how to manage their estates safely and effectively, including Good Estate Management for Schools.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding allocated to the maintenance and renewal of school buildings.

Nick Gibb: It is the responsibility of those who run schools - academy trusts, Local Authorities and voluntary-aided school bodies - to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert the Department if there is a serious concern with a building. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware of a building may pose an immediate risk, immediate action is taken.The Department provides extensive guidance for responsible bodies to help them make effective spending decisions and manage their estates strategically and effectively through resources such as the Good Estate Management for Schools guidance.The 2021 Spending Review announced over £19 billion of capital funding to support the education sector between 2022/23 and 2024/25. In addition to targeted work on RAAC, the Department has continued to invest in improving the condition of the school estate, with over £15 billion allocated since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed for the 2023/24 financial year. On top of this, the Department is transforming 500 schools through the School Rebuilding Programme. A total of 400 schools have been confirmed, with 100 places reserved for later in the programme. Buildings in the poorest condition and those with evidence of potential safety issues have been prioritised, including some now known to contain RAAC. The Department is committed to the projects that have already been announced as being rebuilt or refurbished through the School Rebuilding Programme.​The Department will always put the safety and wellbeing of children and staff in education settings at the heart of its policy decisions. The Government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than the devolved administrations in the UK, or indeed, governments overseas.

Schools: Buildings

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish a building condition survey for every school; and whether she plans to take steps to prioritise school repair and rebuilding projects.

Nick Gibb: It is the responsibility of those who run schools - academy trusts, Local Authorities and voluntary aided school bodies - to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert the Department if there is a serious concern with a building. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware a building may pose an immediate risk, immediate action is taken.The Department is providing funding to improve the condition of the school estate, with over £15 billion allocated since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed for 2023/24. This funding is informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate. On top of this, the Department will transform 500 schools through its School Rebuilding Programme, prioritising buildings in the poorest condition and those with evidence of potential safety issues.The Department will spend whatever it takes to keep children safe. This includes paying for the emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including alternative classroom space where necessary, and supporting schools with remedial works. This is the Department’s immediate focus. Where schools need additional help with revenue costs like transport to other locations, the Department is actively engaging with every school affected to put appropriate support in place.The Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme was the first ever comprehensive survey of the school estate. Previous administrations took no such action to understand the condition of the school estate. Running from 2017 to 2019, it allowed the Department to understand the condition of the school estate over time, and to inform capital funding and programmes by providing information on the condition of all 22,000 government funded school buildings and 260 further education colleges in England.Individual CDC1 school condition reports were shared with every school and the academy trusts, Local Authorities and voluntary aided bodies responsible for those schools, to help inform their investment plans alongside their own more detailed condition surveys and safety checks. Information from the CDC1 school condition reports was deposited in the House Libraries on 20 July 2023. This is accessible at: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2285521/details.The Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is underway and running from 2021 to 2026; individual CDC2 school condition reports are being shared with every school visited under the CDC2 programme.The Department will always put the safety and wellbeing of children and staff in education settings at the heart of its policy decisions.

Schools: Buildings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her predecessors (a) received requests from and (b) made representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss the (i) presence and (ii) potential cost implications of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) within state-funded education facilities between 13 February 2020 and 5 July 2022.

Nick Gibb: It is the responsibility of those who run schools - academy trusts, Local Authorities and voluntary-aided school bodies - to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert the Department if there is a serious concern with a building. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, immediate action is taken.Ministers and officials have regular discussions with colleagues from His Majesty’s Treasury on a range of issues.The 2021 Spending Review announced a budget of £19 billion of capital funding to support the education sector between 2022/23 and 2024/25. In addition to the Department’s targeted work on RAAC, we have continued to invest in improving the condition of schools and colleges, with over £15 billion allocated since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed for 2023/24, informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate. On top of this, the Department will transform 500 schools through the school rebuilding programme, prioritising buildings in the poorest condition and those with evidence of potential safety issues. In addition, £2.8 billion of capital investment has been allocated to further education colleges in England to transform and improve the condition of the post-16 estate, provide new places in post-16 education, and provide specialist equipment and facilities for T Levels.The Department will spend whatever it takes to keep children safe. This includes paying for the emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including alternative classroom space where necessary, and supporting schools with remedial works which is our immediate focus. The Department is rightly focused on supporting schools and colleges. Where schools need additional help with revenue costs like transport to other locations, we are actively engaging with every school affected to put appropriate support in place. The Department will then also fund longer term refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term.The Department will always put the safety and wellbeing of children and staff in schools and colleges at the heart of its policy decisions. The Government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than the devolved administrations in the UK, or indeed, governments overseas.